The numbers HR has to get right, calculated for you
Severance packages, leave payouts, UIF contributions: the calculations where a wrong answer becomes a CCMA claim. Every tool here is built on the section of the Act it implements, shows its working, and is free with no sign-up.
Pick the question you're answering
Need the document, not the number?
Free templates, built on SA labour law
Leave Application Form
Every BCEA leave type, with a balance check
Leave Tracker & Register
Excel + Sheets, formulas included
Employment Contract
BCEA s29 particulars, post-Van Wyk clauses
Written Warning
Aligned to the 2025 Dismissal Code
Probation Review & Outcome Letter
Suitability standard, post-September 2025
Section 189 Consultation Pack
Agenda, minute and selection matrix
How these calculators work
Each calculator implements the exact formula from the section of the Act it is named after, and shows the working next to the answer. The retrenchment calculator applies BCEA Section 41 (severance: one week's remuneration per completed year), Section 37 (notice pay bands) and Section 21 (the accrued-leave payout), building the legal “week's remuneration” from the statutory conversion — monthly pay × 12 ÷ 52 — with the 13-week average added for commission and regular overtime. The leave payout calculator applies the Section 21 daily-rate method and cross-checks the balance against the Section 20 accrual rate of 1.25 days per month on a 5-day week. The UIF calculator applies the 1% employee plus 1% employer contribution with the R17,712 monthly ceiling.
Every result is itemised rather than lumped, because the components are treated differently: severance is taxed on the SARS lump-sum table via a tax directive, while notice pay and leave payouts are ordinary PAYE income. Each tool page explains its formulas in full, walks a worked example you can verify by hand, and includes a copyable plain-text summary of the whole method — paste it to your accountant, keep it with the termination file, or hand it to an AI assistant and get an answer that cites its source.
The calculators compute the statutory minimum — a contract, collective agreement or sectoral determination can set more, never less. Formulas were last reviewed in July 2026 against the BCEA and the 2025/26 SARS tables. They are calculation tools, not legal advice: the number can be perfect while the process around it (Section 189 consultation, fair selection criteria, the UI-19 paperwork) is where a retrenchment actually gets tested. The guides linked from each tool cover that side.
What is owed in each exit scenario
The same three components — severance, notice, accrued leave — switch on and off depending on how the employment ends. This is the map; the calculators do the arithmetic.
| How the employment ends | Severance (s41) | Notice (s37) | Leave payout (s21) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrenchment | Yes — 1 week per completed year | Worked or paid out | Yes, always |
| Resignation | No | Employee works it (leave may not replace it) | Yes, always |
| Dismissal for misconduct | No | No, if the dismissal is summary and fair | Yes — misconduct does not forfeit it |
| Fixed-term contract expires | No (unless the contract says so) | No — the end date was the notice | Yes, always |
| Death in service | No | No | Yes — paid to the estate |
The column that never switches off is the leave payout — which is why it is the one employers most often litigate over after withholding it. In every scenario the exit also triggers a UI-19 declaration with the reason code that decides the employee's UIF claim.
R15k to R50k
a typical CCMA award for a miscalculated payout
on top of the corrected amount, per employee
13 weeks
of pay history the law expects you to average
for every commission and overtime earner
30 days
for an ex-employee to refer the dispute
your paperwork is the whole defence
These calculators save the afternoon. Synthro is what saves the year: the leave balances, salary history and paper trail these numbers stand on, kept right automatically, opened daily by your team, from R49.99 per user per month.
Questions we get asked.
Are these HR calculators really free?
Yes — free, no sign-up, no result held hostage behind an email gate. You only leave an email if you choose to export a multi-employee schedule as a CSV. Synthro is HR software for South African SMEs; the calculators exist because the companies that need these numbers are the companies we build for.
Are the calculations up to date for 2026?
Yes. The formulas were last reviewed in July 2026 against the BCEA, the 2025/26 SARS lump-sum table (the R550,000 severance band is unchanged for the 2026/27 tax year), and the current UIF contribution ceiling of R17,712 per month. Each tool page states the sections of the Act it implements.
Can I rely on the results for payroll?
The calculators compute the statutory minimum with the working shown, and each page includes a hand-checkable example. Use the itemised result as the basis for the final payslip, but check it against the employment contract or any collective agreement first — those can set more than the statutory floor, never less. The tools are calculators, not legal advice.
Which calculator do I need?
Retrenching someone: the Retrenchment Package Calculator — severance, notice pay and the leave payout in one itemised result. Any other exit (resignation, dismissal, contract end): the Leave Payout Calculator for the accrued-leave amount. Checking monthly payroll deductions: the UIF Contribution Calculator.
See your own HR running in Synthro
Book a 30-minute demo and bring a real scenario: a resignation, a retrenchment, a leave dispute. You will watch the answer come off the employee record instead of a spreadsheet.